This invention relates generally to railway truck-train systems and in particular to a truck-train system incorporating a simplified method of connecting the truck-trailers to a railway dolly or bogie.
Truck-train systems of the prior art that used a railway dolly or bogie as the interface between the truck-trailer and the railway system rails generally required special lifting equipment when connecting the truck-trailer to or mounting it on the railway dolly.
One system used a separate incline ramp to roll the trailer, on its wheels, onto one end of a first railway dolly to which the rear axle of the truck-trailer was attached. The trailer hitch end of the truck-trailer was the attached to a trailer hitch mounted on a pylon on a similar second railway dolly. If a separate incline ramp was not available at the destination, the trailers could not be unloaded.
Another system also mounted the trailer wheels on a railway dolly but connected the front end of the following truck-trailer directly to a special swivel fitting attached to the rear end of the front truck-trailer. A special lifting crane was necessary to mount the truck-trailers on the railway dollies and swivel fittings.
A further truck-train system mounted the truck-trailer wheels on a mechanical platform incorporated into one end of a railway dolly with the trailer hitch end fitted to a trailer hitch attached to a mechanical platform on another railway dolly. The trailer was loaded and unload by moving the mechanical platforms laterally onto a paved area next to the railway tracks.
Another truck-train system used a railway bogie incorporating a platform and pivot pin adapted to connect to a truck-trailer. The platform was raised by a pneumatic system to couple it to the underside of the trailer.
Still another truck-train system used a truck-trailer using a standard fifth wheel truck-trailer hitch at one end and removable rear pneumatic tire wheels at the other end. When used as a railway vehicle, the rear wheels, fitted with pneumatic tires, were removed and replaced with the railway dolly fitted with flanged wheels.
All of these truck-train systems of the prior art failed in their efforts by requiring additional equipment for their operation, such as, separate lifting devices at each destination or special mechanical devices incorporated in the railway dolly itself thus increasing the capital cost of the system and requiring continual maintenance.
In addition, the truck-train systems of the prior art did not take into account the need for compatibility between the truck-train system and railway equipment standards and train operating methods that have evolved over the years.